By valarie, on June 8th, 2013
 July 2013 will mark the first anniversary of the opening of the Jasper Apartments at 8606 35th Ave NE, just north of Rite-Aid in the heart of Wedgwood. The history of the site in the past seven years is of Wedgwood’s awakening to current realities of zoning and City of Seattle land use regulations. Upon completion in 2012 the Jasper became the first four-story building on 35th Ave NE in Wedgwood’s central business district. With 91 units, the Jasper is the first large-scale apartment development in Wedgwood since the opening of Wedgewood Estates on NE 75th Street in 1948 (originally called Oneida Gardens.)
 Linda Gordon, Jasper manager as of May 1, 2013. Recently the Jasper building was sold and the new owner engaged Greystar as the property management company. As of May 1st, 2013, Linda Gordon is the new manager at the Jasper. Linda has a property management background, having worked for the Pryde Johnson company for the past thirteen years at a Green Lake apartment building.
Linda is busy with the comings and goings of this second summer of the Jasper, as some of the apartments are available. You may contact Linda about rental info at Jaspermgr@Greystar.com
By valarie, on May 17th, 2013
 New crosswalk markings on 35th Ave NE at the corner of NE 80th Street. New crosswalk markings and a “pedestrians” sign have gone in on 35th Ave NE at the corner of NE 80th Street. This is a heavily used crossing area for people going to Wedgwood Presbyterian Church on that corner, or to the post office in the block to the south. With traffic lights only at NE 75th and 85th Streets, it is a long stretch without any place for pedestrians to cross 35th Ave NE — until now.
In Wedgwood’s recent traffic meetings it has been pointed out that the best way to prevent accidents is to use many different methods to SLOW the traffic. The presence of pedestrian-crossing signs at NE 80th Street will help to do that. Children must be taught safety rules, however, that when using a crosswalk they must make sure that cars stop before pedestrians step off the curb.
By valarie, on May 12th, 2013
 It has been more than five years since the demolition of a former auto repair shop at the northwest corner of NE 75th Street and 25th Ave NE. The site has been vacant until, on the weekend of May 11th, environmental clean-up work was started. We don’t know whether this means that the site owner is going to build something, or is simply preparing the property for sale.
 The Kane Environmental Services company which contracted to work on the site, is doing soil and groundwater remediation and system design. Project Permit #3013392 describes the work as “grading of 5,000 cubic yards of material for soil remediation which includes the removal and replacement of 2,500 cubic yards of soil. Project also includes installation of an underground hydraulic barrier wall 133 linear feet.”
 On Saturday, May 11th sunny skies added to the ability to work at the process of scooping out large amounts of muddy goop, using heavy construction equipment. A police officer helped direct traffic around dump trucks as they exited the site, and the work provided Saturday entertainment to children who enjoyed watching the trucks, tractors and scoop shovels.
By Johnson, on May 5th, 2013
 According to the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, the Children’s Home Society of Washington (CHSW) property is for sale. The 3.7 acre property is comprised of 4 parcels located across the streets from Assumption-Saint Bridget School and Bryant Cafe, it includes the full city block from NE 65th Street to NE 68th Street and from 32nd Ave NE to 33rd Ave NE. According to HistoryLink, the “Washington Children’s Home Society” moved to their newly built Brown Hall in Bryant neighborhood in 1907 after their original location in Greenlake burned down. The property was later annexed into the City in 1943 and is identified on the City’s 1947 zoning maps as “Children’s Home.”
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CHSW have hired Heartland, LLC to manage their statewide land portfolio. According to Heartland, LLC., “the primary objective was to inventory the real estate assets held by CHSW and provide a current valuation of each asset, informed by site context, market forces, site conditions, and development capacity. Heartland also undertook an alternatives analysis of the existing and proposed uses on one of the eight properties to help CHSW determine the highest and best use for that site.” Heartland, LLC. has released an offering memorandum (LINK PDF) for perspective purchasers and are accepting offers through May 17th, 2013. The property includes three zoning designations: Neighborhood Commercial-30 (NC-30), Lowrise Residential-2 (LR-2), and Single Family-5000 (SF-5000). CHSW provides a phenomenal amount of services to kids in need and the money from selling a property, which King County appraises at $12,821,600, would go a long, long way.
Oh, and yes, folks on Twitter and the Ravenna Blog’s Facebook page have already suggested that the School District purchase it for a new school.
By Johnson, on April 7th, 2013
 Growing memorial for the Schulte family. Our friend, the Ravenna Blog, has put together a pretty comprehensive and overwhelming ‘Thank you!’ post to all of those over the past two weeks who have stepped up to support the Schulte family. The number of people who have contributed to the Schulte family in their obvious time of grief and need speaks to the character of our NE Seattle communities. Thank you to everyone who has given to the memorial and medical funds (FundRazr and ProjektKarma), donated food, walked on their behalf, and given continued thoughts and prayers for Karina and lil’ Elias Jose’s recovery.
Dan Schulte, whose parents died and whose wife and son remain in critical care, has one favor to ask of everyone via Karina and Elias’s CaringBridge site. His note is below:
My friends keep calling and emailing to ask what they can do for me. There is something I ask of you all, esp my good friends in Indiana and Seattle, and please take this deeply to heart: DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE. I can’t say I’ve never been guilty of it, but I’m pledging now to never do it again. Please join me. Perhaps this is the mission for the rest of my life and so be it. I’m going to convince you all.
By valarie, on April 1st, 2013
 Schulte memorial, April 1, 2013, photo courtesy of SeattlePI.com Hundreds of Wedgwoodians and other supporters turned out for a Memorial March on Monday evening, April 1st, to honor the Schulte family. Dennis and Judy Schulte were killed while crossing NE 75th Street on Monday afternoon, March 25. Their daughter-in-law Karina Ulriksen-Schulte and her infant son, Elias, who was then only ten days old, remain hospitalized to date. Here is the memorial walk as reviewed by Casey McNerthney of Seattle PI.com with photographer Jordan Stead.
Check here for updates to the memorial and medical funds established for the Schulte family, and consider attending the important meeting on Tuesday, April 2, 7 PM at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center, to give your support to needed changes — let’s work together to make our streets safer.
By valarie, on March 23rd, 2013
 Seattle’s community gardening program which spread nationwide is featured this weekend on Seattle Sketcher, a feature of the Seattle Times newspaper. ”You can’t spell P-Patch without Picardo” because the Picardo family’s farm became the first P-Patch in 1973. The P-Patch program is still going strong all over the city of Seattle, with new sites being added each year.
This fortieth-anniversary year of the P-Patch will be full of events and commemorations, and volunteers are invited to get involved. More on how the Picardo family came to have a farm in Wedgwood is on Valarie’s history blog.
By valarie, on March 20th, 2013
At the March 20, 2013 Landmarks Board meeting the ten board members voted unanimously that Pinehurst School at 11530 12th Ave NE is NOT worthy of preservation. This means that the School District could potentially tear down the present Pinehurst building to rebuild or reuse the site in another way.
 Larry Johnson, architect, prepares to make a presentation at Landmarks Board. The presentation about Pinehurst School was made by architect and historian Larry Johnson of The Johnson Partnership Architects, on behalf of Seattle Public Schools. Mr. Johnson made a complete study of the history of the school, its surrounding neighborhood, and the architectural firm which designed the present building. The nomination report can be read under “Current Nominations” on the Dept. of Neighborhoods Historic Preservation page. The goal of the study was to find whether the school building met any of the six criteria for historic preservation, including outstanding design, association with a historic event, or embodiment of distinctive characteristics of an architectural style.
In 1950 the architectural firm of Mallis, DeHart & Hopkins designed the Pinehurst School and that same year they also designed Nathan Eckstein Junior High School at 3003 NE 75th Street. Eckstein (now a middle school) has already been “landmarked” because it was voted by Landmarks Board to be an outstanding work of Mallis, DeHart & Hopkins and a very distinctive work in the International Style of architecture. Eckstein’s curving glass front conveys International Style in its emphasis upon the beauty of the materials themselves, without reliance upon decorative trim.
 Eckstein Middle School has already been designated as a historic landmark. One of the reasons why Pinehurst School did not win landmark status is that the building’s design is not unified, with the plan made even more confusing in later years by several badly-placed additions. The Pinehurst building does not have any recognizable form or style. The failure of Pinehurst School to achieve landmark status may mean that a new school might be built in its place. I (Valarie) attempted to ask a school district official who was present at today’s meeting, whether the Thornton Creek School at Decatur (in Wedgwood) might also be under consideration for tear-down and replacement. The official replied, “I can’t answer that question because I am not a program manager.” Stay tuned for reports on Wedgwood-area schools as information becomes available.
By valarie, on March 19th, 2013
 At their March 19 meeting the Citizens Advisory Committee of Seattle Children’s Hospital heard the final design presentation for the Burke-Gilman Trail Connection, part of the Livable Streets plan. There is now a signalized intersection on Sand Point Way NE at 40th Ave NE, and a landscape architect, Jim Keller of Site Workshop, has been working on the design for a bike/pedestrian path from the Burke-Gilman Trail to the intersection.
Seattle Children’s owns a building on the corner of 40th & Sand Point Way NE, the Hartmann Building, which contains medical offices. A design has been developed to put a bike/pedestrian path past the building and out to the intersection where bikes and people may safely cross Sand Point Way. On the east side of the intersection, Seattle Children’s has already constructed a path to the hospital at 4800 Sand Point Way NE.
The Hartmann Building at the intersection of 40th & Sand Point Way NE was once owned by a physician, Dr. John Hartmann, who was on staff at the hospital. In September 2000 his estate sold the building to Seattle Children’s, whose current ownership of the building has made it possible to put the Trail Connection through that property. The Hartmann Building “has its back” to the Burke-Gilman Trail, and the proposed path would go around the building to meet the street-crossing at the intersection.
The proposal for the final design has modifications made possible by giving up eight parking spaces at the Hartmann building. With this additional space for the Trail Connection, the slope of the path will be gentler, no stairs will be necessary, and the path can now thread its way through more of the trees on the site, including some large sequoias. The trees on the site have been inventoried. Unhealthy specimens and invasives such as cherry runners will be taken out, and the path routed around the preserved trees. A retaining wall will be built on the existing parking lot, and because of the space and setback this plan has the additional advantage that the retaining wall will not impact the roots of trees.
It is not known how many people will use the Trail Connection to get to Seattle Children’s. Certainly some employees will use it, and it is believed that neighborhood people will benefit from the ability to cross Sand Point Way NE safely and get to stores and banks in the business districts on either side of the street. The Trail Connection will have security lights and low shrubbery along the path for visibility. Invasive plants have already been partially removed by volunteer groups, and when the Trail Connection is finished landscaping will be done with native plants. Now that the plan is being finalized, the permitting and construction process for the Trail Connection will begin soon.
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July 2013 will mark the first anniversary of the opening of the Jasper Apartments at 8606 35th Ave NE, just north of Rite-Aid in the heart of Wedgwood. The history of the site in the past seven years is of Wedgwood’s awakening to current realities of zoning and City of Seattle land use regulations. Upon completion in 2012 the Jasper became the first four-story building on 35th Ave NE in Wedgwood’s central business district. With 91 units, the Jasper is the first large-scale apartment development in Wedgwood since the opening of Wedgewood Estates on NE 75th Street in 1948 (originally called Oneida Gardens.)
